1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display control apparatus, a display method and a computer program and, in particular, to a display control apparatus, a display method and a computer program for displaying information relating to contents.
2. Description of the Related Art
Apparatuses are currently in widespread use to download a large number of contents including still images, moving images and music via a communication network and store such contents.
When a content is downloaded, the downloading of a content related to the selected content is sometimes recommended. Some apparatuses display information relating to a content of interest when the content of interest is selected to be played from among a large number of stored contents.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 8-263255 discloses a display technique. In accordance with the disclosure, a display screen is partitioned into a plurality of areas with one area displaying data icons representing data belonging to a parent layer and another area displaying a daughter layer. The younger (lower) the layer, the more each data icon in that layer is reduced in size. Further, the data icon is displayed in the simpler form with the layer becoming lower. The daughter layer is displayed within the background showing the parent layer. The younger the layer, the deeper the background color becomes. By performing a predetermined operation with a display area of a desired layer pointed, the desired layer can be zoomed up, and a zoom-out operation is thus smoothly performed from the zoomed layer to the parent layer in response to a predetermined operation.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-312392 discloses another display technique. In accordance with the disclosure, two objects are displayed in an overlay fashion with one object cutting away the corresponding portion thereof from another object if the one object is contained in the other object. A layout direction of the contained object to the containing object is fixed. If the number of objects contained in a planar object exceeds a predetermined number, the contained objects corresponding to a leaf are arranged with respect to the contained object corresponding to a node in two lines in a direction opposite from a direction of expansion.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-4292 discloses yet another display technique. in accordance with the disclosure, a function icon row composed a plurality of function icons representing types of media to be played and a function icon row composed a plurality of content icons showing items of contents to be played are displayed to be intersected at an approximate center of a menu screen. A moving icon as a function icon displayed in an intersection area where the function icon row and the content icon row intersect each other is displayed in enlargement and in a color different from the other function icons. The layer structure of the contents is visibly represented in the content icon row.